Is Marriage Still Important?

Whewww!! What a Thanksgiving break. Even with an entire week off from work, I still feel like I need a vacation after having such a hectic holiday break. With my return to the cyber world after neglecting my MacBook for almost ten days, I was greeted by a question from a male friend about marriage or more specifically, do women still consider marriage to be a priority? Of course the question is too broad and no one can possibly answer for all women but it did get my wheels turning considering I am knocking on thirty's door (which is the imaginary cut off date for single women)!

Marriage can be a beautiful union when both parties are fully committed to its success however, the value of being truly committed to one person seems non existent especially when significant others are seen and treated as disposable. I personally have not seen many successful or loving marriages growing up which may likely skew my opinion of it. It may not appeal to me at this current point in my life but of course like most people I would love to have the companionship and support that would come from a marrying a compatible partner but I am not foolish enough to believe that marriage can survive off of the love fumes alone

.  Depending on who you ask, the most significant part of marriage is the financial component of it. Simply put spouses get benefits that single people don't including health insurance and countless others. There may be some validity to this reasoning considering that the top reason for the dissolve of marriages are based on finances or like Kanye said "She ain't messing with no broke ni**a". Nothing can break a loving family apart quicker than having to endure the struggles of financial hardships.

As a single woman who has never been married, I am certainly not qualified to give advice on what makes a marriage work. But to answer his question, marriage it is not a top priority on my list of things to accomplish in life but that does not mean that I am against it. I have just become content with that if it is meant for me it will be.

Do you think that marriage is an important milestone?

.

Dead Prez Return Has Perfect Timing

With half of the country pissed off that President Barack Obama is still in the White House, the political and socially conscious hip hop duo, Dead Prez picked the perfect time for a comeback with the release of their album, Information Age, in January 2013.  Most known for the critically acclaimed single "Hip Hop" from the album Get Free, the group has not strayed from the recipe of fiery political commentary and addressing the ills of the poor and/or minority filled communities. Their performance of the song and the intensity of its lyrics can be seen in Dave Chapelle's concert movie, Block Party, along with performances from other socially aware artists like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and The Roots.

Information Age includes much lighter production than I expected which helps transition the group into the current hip hop market but they still manage to keep the content thought provoking and relevant. One of the stand out singles from the new album for me was "Dirty White Girl" which has a double meaning of the harsh effects of becoming involved with cocaine. By listing why they stay away from "Lohans and Dixie Chicks" and love Sistah Souljah, Dead Prez may seem to hate white girls but they are literally expressing their disgust with hard drugs and its part in the destruction of minorities. This is one group that is not afraid to state how they feel and everything is covered from sex and drugs to education and religion.

The album dishes out knowledge from the intro to the last single making it a far contrast from what is in heavy rotation on many of the mainstream hip hop airwaves. Hopefully, Dead Prez's return can help shift the market towards adding socially aware music into the mix along with the club bangers or superficial rap that is dominant at the moment. The firestorm surrounding the recent elections make it the prime time for black artists to show that we are not what they make us out to be through the couple of coon artists that they push down our throats and somehow become wildly popular

Infomation Age is set to be released early next year and will feature The Roots member, Martin Luther, and Umar bin Hassan of The Last Poets.

Video for Dead Prez's single "Hip Hop"

"Would you rather have a Lexus or justice, a dream or some substance?" - Dead Prez

Did Vote or Die, Die?

Four years ago at this time your favorite rapper, artist, or actress was most likely involved in some sort of voting campaign. With the possibility of having the first African American leader of the United States inaugurated, expressing the necessities of voting was the hip thing to do in 2008. People that never publicly expressed concerned about the importance of voting were now leading the way as voting advocates.

Diddy's (aka Sean Combs or Puff Daddy to the old heads)  Vote or Die campaign stood out the most to me as it was one of the most popular voting campaigns among young voters and people of color. (They also had to coolest t-shirts).  Many of the people that they sought to reach would be casting their ballots for the first time and lived in urban areas.  So where has the Vote or Die campaign gone?

Every presidential election is an important one and this year's will be no exception considering how several polls are noting how close this race may be. It seems that this current race would be an opportune time for the popular Vote or Die effort to have resurfaced. Through all of the painful repetitive campaign commercials I've sat through this year, I have yet to see one mention of Vote or Die.

After a recent visit to the Martin Luther King Historic Center in Atlanta, I was sharply reminded of why every black person, poor person, and disenfranchised person should cast a vote. Every tactic known to man was once put in place to prevent the aforementioned from voting which included ridiculous testing to physical attacks or intimidation. The fact that we can freely register and vote for our candidates of choice should be reason enough to do so.



Despite President Obama's popularity among black voters, we still have a long way to go and the fight is a long way from ending. We do not need another reminder that our votes or not voting can have huge effects on our lives. So do we really need entertainers, whose lives do not resemble the average working class American citizen, telling us the importance or exercising our right to vote?